Helping Children and Adolescents with Chronic and Serious Medical Conditions: A Strengths-Based Approach

"Helping Children and Adolescents with Chronic and Serious Medical Conditionsprovides a wellspring of knowledge, from the theoretical to the clinical. The many vignettes and transcriptions immeasurably enrich the reader's understanding of the interventions and their broader applicability."—Barbara M. Sourkes, PhDJohn A. Kriewall and Elizabeth A. Haehl Director of Pediatric Palliative CareLucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford

An important and practical guide to providing compassionate care and support to medically compromised children and their families

Helping Children and Adolescents with Chronic and Serious Medical Conditions: A Strengths-Based Approach presents practical guidance on integrating the latest research into evidence-based practice to ensure the best client care. Edited by a top scholar in the field, this essential resource contains contributions from renowned specialists in various helping fields. Utilizing an inter-professional perspective, helping professionals will draw from the experiences and expertise of a wide range of medical professionals, providing a "window" into their roles, responsibilities, and challenges, offering the most effective approaches for working with this special population of children and their families.

Equipping practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to encourage children's resilience and help them build their emotional strengths, this book uses a caring yet authoritative tone and discusses:

• The emotional impact of illness on the individual and the family

• Child-life practice in hospitals

• School-based interventions for children and adolescents with medical conditions

• How to meet the spiritual as well as emotional needs of children with chronic and life-threatening illness

With thoughtful coverage of positive helping approaches that encourage family and individual strengths, Helping Children and Adolescents with Chronic and Serious Medical Conditions: A Strengths-Based Approach is an invaluable resource for social workers, teachers, school counselors, and other mental health and medical professionals who work with medically challenged children and adolescents in every setting.